Apprenticeship in England – the continued role of the academic–vocational divide in shaping learner identities

Successive governments have pledged to enhance the quality of apprenticeship in Britain so as to achieve ‘parity of esteem’ with academic study. Yet, at the same time, the discourse of the academic-vocational divide has dominated the academic, policy-maker and practitioner debates. This paper draws on two recent studies designed to explore the learner identities of apprentices on different apprenticeship programmes: motor vehicle maintenance (level 2) and engineering (level 3). Through this work, we are able to explore the role of the academic–vocational divide in identity construction and to challenge assumptions about vocational learners. It will be argued, that, far from being ‘naturally practical’, the young people draw on normative discursive categories in their construction of continuous identities. The findings raise important questions about the UK apprenticeship system as currently conceived, while at the same time drawing attention to the possibility for change.     

The effects of the Webster-Stratton parenting program on maltreating families: fostering strengths

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of the Webster-Stratton parenting program on the parenting skills of maltreating mothers and on the autonomy of their children (3-8 years). METHOD: A randomized controlled trial was used. Twenty-six maltreating families were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: the 16-hour weekly intervention group, or the 4-month wait list control group. Pre- and post-intervention independent assessments included a 2-hour home visit involving videotaped mother-child interactions during two prescribed, 10-minute play activities. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, treatment mothers demonstrated significant improvement in involvement and marginally significant improvement in autonomy-support, but no improvement in structure. Treatment group children showed no significant improvement in autonomy when compared to control group children. CONCLUSIONS: This parenting program proved effective with maltreating parents. The lack of demonstrated effect on children may reflect the need for a larger and more sustained treatment dose and/or the need to include parent-child interaction opportunities in the program. At the same time, while treatment gains were limited to the parent, the high treatment adherence rate (92% attended six or more of the eight program sessions) and low attrition rate (n=1) indicate that the treatment gains may hold potential for more thorough examination.     

The Right to Teach, the Right to Learn

Believe that the findings and recommendations of the Elton Committee have much to offer schools for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, as well as mainstream schools. They outline the way they have introduced 'assertive discipline' into behaviour management policy of the school.     

Interrogative strategies and information exchange in computer‐mediated communication

The explosive growth of Internet and E‐mail use has provided exceptional opportunities for humans to mediate their communication and thus their relationships in new ways. This study reports on a content analysis of interrogative strategies used in E‐mail messages exchanged over six months between intergenerational sets of senior citizens and youngsters. A great deal of relationship development is facilitated by the use of questions which are a core aspect of uncertainty reduction processes. While Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) has been a predominant theoretical position for examining face‐to‐face initial interaction, its utility for examining communication in an asynchronous, computer‐mediated environment was only partially effective. Data analyses focused on politeness of questions, types of questions, and, temporal effects. Results suggest that the interrogative strategies we engage in to achieve interpersonal connectedness are sometimes different in computer‐mediated communication (CMC) and a new standard for transacting relational message exhange may be emerging.     

Actions and Updates on the Standards and Best Practices Front

Four standards and best practices recently released or currently underway at the National Information Standards Organization were presented: Knowledge Bases and Related Tools, Presentation and Identification of E-Journals, Open Discovery Initiative, and Open Access Metadata Indicators. Basics outlining the creation work and deliverables were shared for each project. Applicability of these standards and best practices for different stakeholders of the information community were discussed.